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Unbound: Crowdfunding Literature and Beyond

9:00 am

I first heard about Unbound at a talk I attended about the future of the
book and the publishing industry. Having never really though of where books
could go in the future other than 'erm, maybe eBooks will take over?', their
methods and ideals were something I'd never even considered before.

By now, most of us have probably heard of Kickstarter and other
crowdfunding platforms like Indiegogo. These allow anyone anywhere to
contribute money towards a business idea, giving it the funds it needs to get
up and running, whilst also providing perks for those who help it all happen.
It's an inspired idea and has given so many businesses and individuals the
chance to make their ideas real that wouldn't have had the chance with the
traditional business model, but I hadn't ever really thought of this idea on a
large-scale in regards to books.

Unbound
is crowdfunding for books. Simple as. You read an author's pitch, decide if you
want to contribute, and then you make a pledge. When the pledge goal is met,
the book is written, designed, edited, and printed. It's the same as any
Kickstarter you'd support. You can stay up-to-date with the progress of the
book by getting special access to an area of the site where you can do many,
many things that could include things like helping decide on the book's cover
design. YOU are involved in the book-creating process,
and YOU will get your name printed in the book,
forever, for every print run, because that book wouldn't have existed without
your help. If my convoluted explanation lost you, Unbound have their own
introduction video that I'll insert below for you to watch.

I'm sure it makes much more sense to you now. It's simple, isn't it? An extra added bonus is that Unbound make really good books. I mean REALLY good books. Books people actually want to read by authors people really want to read works by. Another massive advantage of Unbound is the help it gives to authors, not just newbies who want to get their work out there, but to seasoned writing veterans who may already have books out and selling well. It can be hard for an author to pitch a book of theirs to a publishing house that's written in a different style or involves a different subject matter to their usual works. This is where Unbound can really help, because writers can see if their audience actually wants this new kind of book from them.

Here are some of my favourite campaigns that Unbound currently has up and available for pledges:

Pure,
by Rose Bretécher - The true story of a woman and her life with pure O, a
little-known form of OCD that gives the sufferer horrifically unthinkable
thoughts, often sexual or violent.

The House of Fiction, by Phyllis Richardson
- Historical background stories of famous houses in fiction.

I'd love for all of my readers to check out Unbound, especially if you're a
book lover, as it's a wonderful way to get beautiful and informative new
writing into the world that contains a special something that you can't get
through traditional publishing houses. Unbound brings the personal aspect back
into reading by giving you something that couldn't have existed without your
help.

M x

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About me

Hej och välkommen! Megan is an editorial assistant and freelance writer, as well as a knitwear lover and hot beverage drinker with a fancy for anything with chips, fantasy worlds, and rolling D20s. This is a blog about being a creative, books, comics, and zines.

I've been fortunate enough to work with teatourist, Latitude Festival, The London Tea Company, and many more. If you want to be on the list, drop me an email: meganmagicmusings@gmail.com